The Things the Night Hides
by MermaidsInFoam
Summary: Tobias has returned to school but is noticably different from before the summer. Ellen has no idea what has changed her best friend. Will anthing, or anyone be able to remedy his situation' Possibly romance. Pleeease read! 'Tis my first :D
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, here's the first part. I know they're very short chapters but there you go, that's just how the happened. Also...it may not yet appear to be fanfiction, but later it is so yeah, I am keeping to regulations :D enjoy!**

It was the form room, just the same as usual. The same strange-yellow-coloured walls, the old stiff sliding windows, maps stuck round the walls and odd, old smell. Three girls came in together, giggling excitedly, and went to their places down the left-hand side.

In a way, there were the same people. A little older, a little more mature perhaps. new haircuts, new bags; new friendships in some places, but essentially they were all just the same.

Except maybe one person. This year, Tobias Willow was sitting by himself in a corner, staring at the desktop, earphones in place. He was a new person, and the others had noticed it. In between retellings of holiday adventures, people would glance over. "What's up with Toby?" they would ask, replied by a shrug, and after one more look at the almost perfectly still figure would return to their chatter.

None of them would ever guess what was different in him, or, at least, what had caused this change. None knew that what had happened to him, the huge thing which had changed his life forever, which now seemed like would weigh him down for the rest of his life, souring any good moments, because he knew the other side, the dark, miserable, hellish part to his existence.

But they did not know, and Toby was glad they did not, for although he had resigned himself to the life he was to lead from now on, and knew he would not keep his friends, and would be lonely.

The clock came to four minutes to nine, and knowing that this would be the exact minute the teacher would enter, he raised his head to the cloud of aimless talk, ready to start school.


	2. Chapter 2

**Woo! Here's part 2 which I have had written in hand for a few days but I am dismally awful at typing, seriously. I would win prizes for the amount of typos I make, not helped by the fact the 'y' key doesn't work so great, so understandably I am not too eager to computerise stuff. Anyway, there is my babbling! Read on, read on! **

"Toby, what's the matter?" he jerked around automatically at the sound of his name, regret swiftly appearing on his face as he recognised the familiar voice.

He grunted and turned back round, read to march away, but one of her small pale hands caught his arm and he stopped, more at the shock of contact after the silent, lifeless months than her strength.

She saw his face, dark and angry, and flinched at the fierceness in his eyes. He had changed so much since she'd last seen him close up. The last time he'd _allowed _her to. His dark hair had seemed to grow I possibly fast, and it now hung down, matted in places over his face, and the way his lifeless black eyes glared out warily from beneath thick, protruding brows reminded her of a wild animal, a predator, hiding in wait.

"Toby! Toby, please just-"

"What?" he snarled into her face and she fought the urge to step away from him; the natural fear of the less powerful, but her worry and care made her stand strong.

"I'm worried Toby. What's happened to you? It seems just a minute ago we were best friends laughing together, and now..." she broke off, as she realised it was not true. It seemed longer than 'a minute' ago, so much longer than that. The part of her that was sore from missing him was aching with the horrible length of the Toby-less time.

"Well, I miss you. And you seem so sad, so... I don't know, but there's something wrong. Its like you're angry at everything for just being. You ignore me and I care bout out ob. It's not right like this."

He hung his head, shifting uncomfortably. Ellen had always been able to understand him. Even when she had nothing to go on, she was closer to what he really felt than anything his father could guess.

"No Ellen." He said quietly, "no. There is...something...but I need to cope with it. You don't know."

"Of course I don't! You won't let me in." Her voice broke unexpectedly, but she blinked away the hot tears, staring determinedly up at him. "I want to know whatever's wrong, I'm sure you're making things worse, too. You're going through something tough, but for some incomprehensible reason you're making yourself even more miserable. You can at least make one thing better by accepting I'm here."

He shook his head. "No, no. It would be worse. Horribly, intorturably worse. If you-no." He suddenly looked straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry Ellen." He said, his eyes blazing into hers, and walked away.


End file.
